The Power of Dressing and Decorating

It’s a warm, bright day in the middle of December. As much as a beautiful day like this can cheer the heart, it also has a way of confusing the Christmas spirit, doesn’t it?

Maybe it’s just us northerners. Christmas is branded by it’s winter weather and if the snow hasn’t fallen (much less if the leaves haven’t even fallen yet!) then it just doesn’t “feel like Christmas,” does it?

I lived in Florida one winter. That was by far my least favorite Christmas. Having grown up in the North East, I just couldn’t enjoy all the fake snow and pretend snowmen. It felt phony and only made me homesick for the real thing.

One way to “get in the mood” for Christmas is to drive around at night and enjoy the houses all lite up with beautiful decorations. There’s nothing like a beautifully lit home to put the feeling in the air. It’s less than two weeks before our children will gather around our Christmas trees, so if we want to make some beautiful memories for them, and we haven’t yet, I guess we need to get over the weather, find a tree and start decorating!

The truth of the matter is that once we start decorating, we will feel the spirit because atmosphere is a powerful influencer on our mood.

What kind of atmosphere do people feel around you?

Just as decorating our home creates an atmosphere of celebration (for our family, our guest and ourselves), so does dressing up our image bring a feeling of enthusiasm and energy within us and for those around us. Too often we dress according to our mood. Think about what you wear when you don’t feel well. Does it promote energy to help you get through the day? Most of us put on sweat pants and a t-shirt and long for the coach all day. We are wiser to dress up and allow our outfit to influence our attitude–to put us in the mood, per say.

There are two big precautions to take, though, when dressing up when you don’t feel like it.

Don’t be confusing. Just as this beautiful weather can make it hard to feel the Christmas spirit, so can a bright, cheery outfit make a miserable woman hard to understand. People do not trust anything that is confusing. Don’t let your mood influence your image, create an image that will influence the atmosphere around you and IN you.

Don’t be phony. Just as it is a bit silly for the southerners to dress up their palm trees with icicles and snow, so is it silly for any of us to be someone we are not. If you are a dressy kind of gal, dress up and enjoy this celebratory season. If you are a casual beauty, enjoy dressing with simplicity. BE and LET BE. Don’t let anyone else’s style influence yours, allow you authentic beauty to create an atmosphere around you that is sincere to the best of you.

If you are having trouble “feeling it” today, I encourage you to create the atmosphere you wish you felt. Feelings follow action. Start decorating and let the memories begin. Get dressed up and be empowered to BE your very best–no matter how you feel. For help with being true to your personal style, your mg.ID, please visit my website at www.catrinawelch.com/image-coaching

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Catrina Welch is an inspirational author and speaker whose passion is empowering women and girls to BE and LET BE. Her expertise as a cosmetologist, image consultant and Biblical life-coach, as well as her personal experiences with abandonment and grief make her message relatable to anyone dealing with rejection, betrayal or loss.

Her latest book, CONFIDENT BEAUTY: Reflecting the One Who Made You, with the Images in your Mirror and in your Soul, will soon be available as an audiobook. Autographed copies of all her books are available on her website at www.CatrinaWelch.com

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Catrina Welch, Author, Speaker

"I'm an Image consultant without the shopping obsession. I help women and girls overcome confidence conflicts by unveiling the power and purpose of their personal Image Identity (Img.ID) and teaching them to accentuate their authentic beauty so they can forget about their appearance and think about others."